Tire.



H. 0. BARTLETT.

' TIRE.A

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 16, 1911.

Patented sept. 3,1912.

Attorney I p//w/m f coLuMllA PLANOOI'MPII to., WMMINQMN, D. cn'

HARRY O. BARTLETT, OF CALDWELL, OHIO.

TIRE.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented sept. s, 1912.

Application iled October 16, 1911. Serial No. 654,893.

T 0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HARRY O. BARTLETT, a citizen ot the United States,residing at Caldwell, in the county ot Noble and State ot Ohio, haveinvented certain new and usetul Improvements in Tires, ot which thetollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in tires ot a nonpneumaticcharacter but having the saine resilient qualities, with the minimumamount ot rubber.r

The invention Vhas tor an object to provide a new and improvedconstruction and arrangement ot springs rigidly connected at their endsand disposed to torm acircle ot' separated segments concentric with thewheel hub.

These and other objects in view, will be readily understood by reterenceto the drawings torming a part ot this specification, in which similarnumerals ot reference indicate corresponding parts in all the iigures otthe drawings.

In the drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal section ot a portion ot myimproved tire showing a part ot the telly and spokes contiguous thereto.Fig. 2 is a transverse section not showing the telly. Fig. 3 is a detailot one ot the resilient units removed trom the tire and Fig. 4e is areduced elevation ot a portion ot the tire to show the manner otsecuring the leather tread in place.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, l represents the spokes, 2 thetelly and 3 the liat outer surtace ot same. My improved tire is mountedon said flat surtace 3 ot the telly by slipping it on trom the side andis secured thereto by the bolts 4.

The tire is constructed as follows; an inner steel band 5 which snuglyfits the telly, an outer steel band 6 tound in practice to be bestsuited tor the work it somewhat thinner than band 5; interposed betweensaid bands 5 and 6 are a series ot built up spring units as shown inFig. 3, said members are constructed ot spring steel plates 7 arrangedas shown and being united together at 8, said spring unit is secured at9 to the band 5 and to the band 6 at 10, and as will be noted, the outerspring plate 7 abuts against the adjoining spring plate 7, while theother spring plates 7 are somewhat shorter, thus leaving a space l1 between the ends ot said inner plates and the next adjoining plates, whichprovide tor movement ot theends ot these plates when under compression,which will avoid shearing ot the bolts 8. Mounted on the outer tace otband 6 is a rubber tread member l2, over which is arranged the tread 13,having extensions leon either side torming a part thereot and as shownare turned back and secured in a manner to torm loops in whichheavy'wires l5 are run, said wires 4being provided with turn buckles 16tor se curing said tread firmly in place. It will be seen that theextensions 14. also retain the rubber upon the band 6,\so that noadditional means will be required to maintain these parts in place. 'Ithas been tound by experiment that this construction ot springs arranged.as shown so as to admit ot play at their ends, meets what has proved tobe the greatest diiiicult-y encountered with this general construction.

By removing the nuts on bolts 4C and slightly withdrawing same, thecomplete tire can be removed. Should any one ot the spring units bebroken, said unit can be removed. It will not benecessary to removeother than this one part, which can be done atter loosening one ot thewires 15 and removing the securing lmeans shown at 9 and l0.

In the construction shown the spring plates are rigidly co-nnected attheir ends thus torming a spring which expands bodily without trictionor noise, and as the outer plates are arranged concentric to a wheel hubthey contact at their ends under extreme compression through alongitudinal movement in their travel toward the center ot the wheel totorm a support-ing ring which prevents injury to the springs. Bysecuring the superposedy springs at their centers a slight rollingmovement is permitted during ordinary compression ot the tire which isnecessary to the greatest etiiciency under the wave like movement inuse. The abutting springs secured to the outer band reintorce this bandat their secured ends which is the point ot least resistance beingremoved trom the center ot the springs and provide a recess to permit ayielding ot the band at that point. The adjacent springs prevent thecompression ot any single set as the tire tread always causes thecompression ot two or more and produces a cooperative circumferentialaction ot the springs.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim and wish to secure byLetters Patent is l. In a resilient tire, inner and outer bands7 and aseries of circumferentially arranged spring units interposed betweensaid bands and comprising an inner spring secured at its center to theinner band and an outer spring rigidly connected at its ends to theinner spring and curved to forni a circle of separated segmentsconcentric with the inner band and having their ends alined adjacenteach other and adapted to move longitudinally into contact to form asupporting ring.

2. In a resilient tire, inner and outer bands, a series ofcircumferentially arranged spring units interposed between said bandsand co-mprising an inner spring secured at its center to the inner bandand an outer spring rigidly connected at its ends to the inner springand curved to form a circle ot' separated segments concentric with theinner band and having their ends alined adjacentI each other and adaptedto move longitudinally into contact to form a supporting ring, and acurved spring connected at its ends to the outer band and intermediatethereot to the outer spring member.

3. In a resilient tire, inner and outer rigidly connected atits ends tothe inner spring and curved to form a circle of separated segmentsconcentric with the inner band having their ends adapted to movelongitudinally into contact under extreme compression to form asupporting ring, and

a series ot curved springs having their ends in contact and secured tothe outer band and intermediate tliereoil to the outer spring.

In testimony ,whereof I aiiiX my signature -in presence of twowitnesses.

HARRY O. BARTLETT.

V'Vitnesses C. O. DYE, C. Ii. I-IILLYARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

